The Sleepless Elite

Words: Alice McCloskey (she/her)

The photography of Paweł Jaszczuk depicts businessmen in Tokyo slumped in various positions of exhaustion after working weeks of up to 70 hours. Reclining on pavements, railings, and sidewalks, their business attire rumpled and stained, it becomes clear that being on the upper echelons of the corporate ladder comes at the price of sleep. In a system that thrives off productivity, valuing it above all else, exhaustion is a given. Businessmen at the mercy of the corporate system assume the fate of walking zombies.

   And it is not just Tokyo businessmen that are experiencing it. Between the lines of not sleeping at all and society’s obsession with our apparent “over indulgence” in rest, here lies, on a sagging sleepless bed, an unmediated sleep issue. 1 in 5 of us are sleep deprived on a daily basis. Our culture has perpetrated its indeterminate archetype of success as a figure that marches snootily onwards, hand in hand with its dear friend: limitless productivity. The cost? Our sleep, our health,  our sanity.

  Branches of sleep deprivation have entwined themselves into our society, with their roots leaving lasting effects. It is no wonder that many of us are about to snap. As fatigued individuals enmeshed in a rigid capitalist framework, how can we ever find joy in a good night’s sleep? How can we learn to forgo the guilt so often associated with rest? In Scotland alone, when the working population is not at work, an estimated 30% are losing sleep worrying over the cost of living.

  Even when we are not working, we are not sleeping.

  It is not just the dawn chorus of the birds that is out of sync. The blue light from our screens and the addictive endorphin rush we get from consuming content online is disrupting our body’s production of melatonin, raising stress and energy levels. Not exactly a soothing lullaby for sleep. What’s worse is that this is what big tech companies want. They want us to continue our mindless consumption. The CEO of Netflix was quoted saying that sleep is the company’s biggest competitor. After all, if we are correctly regulating our body’s time clock and maintaining a natural circadian rhythm, we probably aren’t staying up all night to binge-watch the latest Netflix sensation. 

  Indeed, even the world of art often perpetuates the iconic image of the tortured sleep-deprived artist creating works of genius into the deep hours of the night. Whilst this seemed to work for some geniuses – Leonardo Da Vinci and Nicholas Tesla only slept for 2 hours a day! – we don’t desperately need the painting of another Mona Lisa or the invention of another lightbulb. Something we do desperately need, however, is sleep. Without it, we are less happy and focused in the short-term and in the long-term we risk increasing our likelihood of dementia and heart disease, to name just a few.

   So, when you have the time to rest – don’t feel guilty. Rather, think of it as a natural state to reinvigorate the body. Take a note from the siesta culture in Spain. Sleep may be one of the only escapes we can find in a world of advanced capitalism  that profits off our wakefulness. Meditation, light exercise, and a conscious effort to ignore our phones for a while before bed may help to improve our sleep.

  If sleep is an escape from the world, then dreaming can be seen as an act of resistance. For The Nap Ministry whose slogan is ‘We Will Rest’, this is exactly what they aim to promote. As a Black female activist, “Nap Bishop” Tricia Hersey gives a voice to all those faltering under the exhausting weight of living within a capitalist society ruled by white supremacy. To combat this, The Nap Ministry promotes relaxation as an act of rebellion by curating spaces for collective community rest with soothing music, mats, and blankets, as well as poetic meditation readings and post-nap discussions. These meditative practices are also combined with immersive workshops that use various forms of art, guiding participants to create healing methods within their daily lives. Not only does this work give tired individuals a space to enjoy fulfilling rest within a community, but it also teaches self-love. In a world where even the self is a commodifiable entity, where worth is equated with work, Hersey reminds us of the inherent value of every human, aside from their productivity or career.

  Whilst society’s sleep deprivation is largely ignored as a problem, by treating it as the social justice issue it is we can recognise the damage it does to the most marginalised in society. As Hersey says, ‘We know that we are not machines.’ From the work of The Nap Ministry we can all take this important message: the human experience does not have to simply be boiled down to our ability to work. The pursuit of passions and art are at the heart of their organisation, purely for spiritual enrichment. If our society valued this over money perhaps our mattresses would be much more worn.

  So tonight, as you close your eyes to enter into the realm of dreams, give your mind a chance to get away from the 9-5 life, at least for a while. Let the wildest parts of your subconsciousness run free – you might even discover something to inspire you. But most importantly, get some proper sleep. Goodnight.